Murder suspect among those indicted in Hancock County

ELLSWORTH, Maine — A man sought by police for a traffic incident that led to his being charged with murder and several people facing drug charges were among 25 people indicted this month by a Hancock County grand jury.

Murder suspect William E. Morse, 44, listed in the indictments as a Mount Desert resident, was indicted Dec. 5 on charges of eluding an officer, driving to endanger and operating a motor vehicle after suspension.

According to law enforcement officials, Morse had eluded Bar Harbor police while driving a motorcycle in a high-speed chase on July 2, 2013. About a week later, Bar Harbor officers later tracked Morse down and, when they stopped an Audi automobile he was driving, found out that the car was registered to Trenton resident Richard Bellittieri. Morse also had in his possession Bellittieri’s Social Security card, his driver’s license and two of his credit cards.

Maine State Police got involved in the case and a few weeks later, after they were unable to locate Bellittieri, they found his body buried on property he owned on Goose Cove Road in Trenton. Police subsequently arrested Morse on a charge of murder in connection with Bellittieri’s death. Morse was indicted on the murder charge on Aug. 8.

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Also indicted Dec. 5 were James Storey, 49, of Baileyville and Dustin White, 28, of Whiting. The two men were arrested in August after a six-mile car chase in Amherst, according to police.

Maine Drug Enforcement Agency officials have said police learned that Storey and perhaps others had planned a trip out of state to purchase heroin that they planned to distribute in Washington County. On Aug. 14, police attempted to stop a 1998 Chevrolet Tracker that Storey was driving east on Route 9 in Eddington but the vehicle sped off, traveling half a dozen miles before it came to a stop on a dead-end road.

Occupants of the vehicle threw 20 grams of heroin from the vehicle during the chase but police later recovered the drugs from the side of the road, according to the MDEA. Also seized by police was $3,680 that they found in the vehicle.

Storey was indicted on charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, eluding an officer, failure to stop for an officer, driving to endanger, criminal speeding and criminal forfeiture. White was indicted on charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, criminal forfeiture and hindering apprehension or prosecution.